What does it mean if my phone, TV box or router is locked to a provider?

If you want to switch operators and discover that your phone, TV box, or router does not work with the new operator, it may be because it is locked to your previous operator. They should unlock any operator lock free of charge immediately after the end of the binding period if you request it (if the agreement was signed after May 1, 2014).

For agreements on subscriptions with a binding period in combination with, for example, a mobile phone, broadband router, or digital TV box, the operator must immediately and clearly inform you at the end of the binding period that you can have any operator lock removed free of charge and unlock it if you request it.

An operator lock must be removed no later than the final payment for the current hardware if the agreement is terminated or canceled prematurely, for example, due to faults or delivery delays.

However, the operator is not obliged to unlock your equipment free of charge if:

• the agreement was entered into before May 1, 2014
• you have remaining binding time
• the purpose of the operator lock is other than to restrict you from using the equipment to utilize other providers’ services, for example, adaptations for the equipment to be used with the operator’s services or for security reasons.